The 1300 calorie diet menu and meal plan is one of the numerous weight plans that are available which strive to bring about weight loss by reducing the calorie intake. We should be careful when following such low calorie diet plans because the drastic reduction in the calories may cause many reactions like slowing down of the metabolic rate of the body. So it is always advisable to get your doctor's approval before you start following a low calorie diet plan. Once you have decided to start with your diet and have got your physician's approval, the first step you will want to do is to chuck out all junk foods from your refrigerator and stack the fridge up with fruits, vegetables and health bars that are low in calories and whose sugar content is negligible. You can also get some protein powders which can be mixed with milk or water to create milk shakes which can be taken as mid-day snacks. Also forget about sweetened beverages. It is absolutely essential to drink a lot of fluids, but the fluids should be in the form of water or zero calorie beverages. If you need variety in taste, green tea is also an excellent option to keep your body hydrated.
Sample Diet Plans:
Protein Bar
A sample diet plan of 1300 calories can be achieved by consuming roughly a cup of fruits, one and a half cup of vegetables, four ounces of grains, three ounces of meat and beans, two cups of milk, around four teaspoons of oil and another 171 calories of your discretion. This diet is USDA recommended and this kind of a diet will ensure that you get the necessary amount of nutrients and essential fats even if the calorie intake is low.
Sample Meal 1:
Breakfast:
You can have a cup of cereal, a cup of skimmed meal and one small banana for your breakfast.
Morning Snack:
For a morning snack, you can enjoy a cup of skimmed milk blended with ½ cup of frozen strawberries.
Lunch:
Primary constituents for lunch will be sandwich and fresh fruits. You can have two slice of wheat bread, three ounces of lean meat with a thin spread of mustard, a slice of low fat mozzarella cheese and one plum.
Afternoon Snack:
For an afternoon snack, you can enjoy any delicacy of your choice but make sure that the calorie count is around 100 calories. Cottage cheese will be an excellent option for a mid afternoon snack.
Dinner:
The total calorie count for your dinner should come around 510 calories. An ideal dinner would be a cup of beans of your choice, two small tortilla shells, a cup of lettuce (shredded), two slices of mozzarella cheese, one serving of sour cream and some rice.
You can have a cup of strawberries for a before-bed snack.
Sample Meal 2:
Breakfast:
For breakfast, you can have twelve ounces of coffee without caffeine, bangel-plain, two tablespoons of peanut butter, and one tablespoon of cream.
Mid Morning Snack:
A medium sized apple with peel can be consumed as a mid morning snack.
Lunch:
Three ounces of chicken breakfast, 12 ounces of a beverage of your choice (without caffeine), quarter a cup of croutons plain, one large of garden salad devoid of tomatoes and onions, and four tablespoons of thousand island reduced calorie Kraft.
Evening Snack:
Another mediums sized apple will do or you can choose any snack of your choice that falls within the 100 calorie count.
Dinner:
Dinner constitutes about 410 calories of the entire 1300 calories. You can have three ounces of chicken breast or white meat, a cup of cooked pasta and corn, one small garden salad without tomatoes or onions and two tablespoons of thousand island reduced calorie Kraft.
In generic terms, a 1300 calorie diet plan contains the following food serving amounts from the different food groups: three servings from the fruit group, five servings from the grain group, two servings from the vegetable group, six servings from the dairy group and two servings from the meat and bean group. Overly processed food stuffs should be avoided on all accounts.
Conclusion:
Following this diet plan will lead to an average weight loss of 20 pounds in six weeks. Per week the weight loss should be around two to four pounds. The amount of weight that is actually lost depends on various factors like the amount of physical activity, calorie intake and the rate of the body metabolism.
This diet is usually accompanied with some physical and cardio exercises. Too much physical exertion should not be done because of the low calorie intake. Talk with your doctor for approval of the diet and for ascertaining the kinds of physical exercises that you can follow with this reduced calorie intake diet.